Company's Response to Coal-Ash Spill in Dan River Gets Attention at Annual Meeting

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Duke Energy Corp.'s chief executive agreed to take a canoe trip with environmentalists at a testy annual meeting focused on the utility company's response to a spill of coal ash into the Dan River in North Carolina in February.

Duke is working on short-term solutions such as vacuuming wet ash from the river bottom, CEO Lynn Good said, as well as a long-term plan for dealing with the 32 other basins in North Carolina...